Method and apparatus for making brick-faced concrete walls



Get; 31, 1939. L. E. WILLSON 2.

' METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING BRICK-FACED' com-"mm WALLS Filed Aug. 21, 1937 lea 2%020 4 54,, 4:

fidnen mmw Patented Oct. 31, 1939 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING BRICK-FACE!) CONCRETE WALLS Lester E. Willson, Streator, 111.

Application August 21, 1937, Serial No. 160,215 13 Claims. (01. 25 131 This invention relates to the construction of walls for buildings, and is particularly concerned with walls comprising a base or body of concrete, with an ornamental surface layer composed of 5 relatively small slabs or tiles, preferably arranged to simulate a brick wall. One object of the invention is to provide a special form of mold adapted to hold the ornamental slabs or tiles in place while the concrete is being cast and allowed to set in the mold. Another object is to provide a mold for this purpose, adapted to be stripped readily from the wall and to leave the slabs or tiles embedded in the wall. Another object is to provide a method of procedure for constructing a wall with the aid of the novel mold which forms a part of this invention. The invention thus consists in certain apparatus and features of its construction, and in the method of using the same as herein described and illustrated in the g drawing, and as indicated by the claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the inner face of a mold-section or "form for producing a wall in accordance with this invention, the form 25 being shown as partially fitted or filled with brick-shaped tiles.

Figure 2 isa vertical section taken substantially as indicated at line 2-2 on Figure 1, show-- ing a portion of the form with tiles secured there- 30 on, and with a fragment of the opposite form which completes the mold, ready for pouring of the concrete.

Figure 3 is a sectional view similar to Figure 2, but showing only the outer form removed from 35 the concrete wall. 4

Figure 4 is a sectional view illustrating a fragment of the wall after removal of the form, and showing the ornamental tiles embedded in it.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of no one form of resilient retaining strip.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a filler block or end strip employed between the tiles as assembled on the molding form.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view simi- 45 lar to Figure 2, showing a modified form of the tile and a slightly different form of resilient retaining strip.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary section similar to Figure 4, showing the wall structure produced 50 with the elements of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of the type of retaining strip shown in Figure 7.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary perspective View of another form of resilient retaining strip.

55 It is well recognized that a brick wall has many advantages over other forms of construction, and particularly as to the durability and pleasing appearance of its weather surface; therefore, there have been various means devised for securing these advantages, without the expense of a wall of solid brick. For some time relatively thin tiles have been produced with materials and methods similar to those employed in making brick, and of dimensions similar to those of the face of standard brick, so that when these tiles are secured to any form of base wall, and tuckpointed, the external appearance is substantially identical with that of a solid brick wall. The present invention is concerned with employing tiles of this nature as an outer layer or surface treatment for a base wall of concrete, the latter being poured into removable forms in accordance with well understood methods.

For providing a suitable mold to produce a wall of this composite character I secure to the outer form or mold board, I, a series of parallel strips, 2, preferably of resilient material, such as rubber, which are shown attached to the form, I, by integral stems or ribs, 3, glued or otherwise cemented into grooves in the face of the form, l. The brick-shaped tiles, ii, which are to be employed are dimensioned to fit snugly between the parallel strips, 2, so as to be frictionally retained thereby against the form, 5, as seen in Figures 1 and 2.

In addition to the resilient strips, 2, the tiles are spaced apart at their ends by transverse strips,

5, which may be short wooden spacer blocks inserted between the strips, 2, and resiliently held in place thereby; or, if desired, the transverse strips may also be of resilient material like the strips, 2, and may be permanently secured to the form, 8. However, in many instances, the tiles,

l, as manufactured, are not of accurately uniform length, and it is therefore desirable to have the strips, 5, removable, or even to have an assortment of such strips of slightly different widths so as to compensate for variations in the length of the tiles. Both the strips, 2, and the fillers, 5, should be of some material which will not bond with, or stick to, the concrete when it is molded; rubber is vry satisfactory in this respect, and wood is also suitable from this standpoint.

In the form shown in Figures 1 to 5, the portions of the strips, 2, which project from the face of the form, 9, are of laterally tapering crosssection, so that the edges of the strips which frictionally engage the marginal or edge surfaces of the tiles, 4, are relatively thin, permitting these portions of the strips to be flexed or easily distorted in the insertion and removal of the tiles, 4, from their positions on the face of the form, I. The under surfaces of the strips, 2, thus slope'away from the face of the form, I, and, if desired, the filler strips, 5, may be made with projecting tongues, 5, dimensioned to fit under the edges of the strips, 2, as seen in Figure 1, for locking the filler strips, 5, in position more securely,

As will be clear from Figure 2, the strips, 2, and the filler strips, 5, project from the face of the form, I, by only a fraction of the total thickness of the tiles, 4, thus leaving the tilesbounded by relatively deep grooves, into which the concrete may fiow when the wall is poured in the space, 6, between the form, I, and the opposing form member, of which a fragment is shown at 1 in Figure 2. When the concrete has been poured into the space, 6, and allowed to set, the

form, I, is withdrawn, thus removing the resilient strips, 2, from between the tiles, 4, leaving the tiles firmly cemented to the concrete, 8, as seen in Figure 4. The spaces between the tiles are nearly filled with concrete, as indicated at 9, so

that if the appearance of a raked joint is desired, there is no necessity of tuck-pointing between the tiles. The tiles themselves, thus embedded in the concrete of the wall, 8, give the appearance of a finished 'brick wall. Preferably, the outer faces of the strips, 2, are made slightly convex, so that the resulting formation of the concrete at 9 is concave. This permits the strip to comprise a sufficient body of rubber or like resilient material, without contacting an excessive area of the edge surface of each tile in holding it to the face of the form, i, and allows the concrete to fill in around the tile to a maximum depth so as to simulate the usual position of the mortar between bricks.

Figure 5 represents a fragment of one of the strips, 2, which, it may be understood, will be cut into any convenient length to fit the size of the section of the form, I, to which they are secured. The purpose of securing the strips by means of their ribs, 3, glued into grooves in the form, I, is to avoid the use of nails, since it is found that the heads of the nails will leave a rather definite impression in 'the concrete at 9, and thus destroy the desired appearance of a regular mortar joint.

In some instances, however, this may not be important, particularly if the work is to be tuckpc-inted after the concrete wall has hardened. Therefore, I do not limit myself to the use of the specific form of retaining strip shown in Figures Figure 7 shows a fragment of a molding form, I0, fitted with tiles, 40, whose edge surfaces are grooved at 4| for engagement with suitable retaining devices. Such tiles may be applied directly to a wooden base wall by the use of such retainers, and, if employed as the facing material for a concrete wall, they may be secured to the molding form, ID, by resilient strips of rubber or like material, or T-shaped cross-section, as shown at 42. An enlarged fragment of such a strip is shown in Figure 9. This strip may be fastened to the form, III, by means of ordinary nails, 43, and the laterally projecting edges, 44, of the strip, 42, will engage resiliently in the grooves, 4|, but not so tightly as to prevent the form, I0, and the strips, 42, from being withdrawn after the concrete has been poured. as at in Figure 8. Then, to complete the effect, the Joint between tiles may be tuck-pointed, as indicated at 49, thus covering the impressions of the heads of the nails, 43, and filling the joint with mortar'of any desired color.

Figure 10 shows, at 50, another modified form of resilient strip, in which the outer face is flat. but the edges are tapered, leaving them relatively thin at 54, and producing a fiat base to fit against the face of the form when the strip is nailed thereto. It will be evident that other changes in the particular shape of the securing strip may be made, and that other securing means than a strip of resilient material may be employed, providing such means is, adapted to release its hold on the tiles, and to be readily removed from between them after the concrete wall has been poured and has formed its cementitious bond with the backs of the tiles.

It may be understood that the forms, I, will be made in units of convenient size, which normally will be butted end to end, and edge to edge, in building up the total area of the wall to be cast at any one time, and that where the usual bond of a brick wall is being simulated, the individual tiles, 4, will necessarily overlap the ends of the form units, I; but since the strips, 2, will be aligned in consecutive forms, this presents no particular difilculty. If desired, the forms may be first set up and filled with the tiles as the final step of preparing the mold for casting the concrete. 7

It may be understood that in some cases the concrete may be shot from a suitable gun or discharge nozzle against the form, I, until a layer of the plastic concrete is built up over the tiles to the desired depth; in such cases a screen of wire mesh may be substituted for the mold form, I, and the mixture will be shot through the screen against the form, I, and the tiles, 4, thereon. If a special color of concrete is wanted to form the portions at 9, which are to be visible between the tiles in the finished wall, a first layer of suitably tinted mixture may be applied to the proper depth and then backed up with the standard mixture for the bulk of the wall. Such variations in the method of applying the concrete to the molding form are all within the scope of my invention. And it should also be understood that the term "concrete, as used in the claims, is not limited to any particular mixture, but is intended to designate any suitable combination oi materials adapted to be applied in or onto a molding form while in plastic or semi-liquid condition,

and to harden into a relatively rigid wall structure. Ordinarily, such mixtures will contain Portland cement, but the aggregate may include various materials, such as sand, crushed stone, cinders, exploded clay, or broken tile.

It will be seen that the method of procedure, and the fixtures and apparatus included in this invention, provide for the construction of a brickfaced concrete wall in a relatively simple and convenient manner, and that the resulting wall will be not only structurally satisfactory, but may be finished with an exceptionally attractive surface at a relatively moderate cost.

I claim:

1. A form for molding a concrete wall provided with strips of resilient material arranged in parallel relation on its inner face for removably holding individual tiles thereon, said strips being positioned and dimensioned to yield to admit the tiles between them so as to exert pressure from opposite directions against the tiles by engagement with the edge surfaces thereof which extend transversely of their exposed faces in the finished wall, whereby said resilient strips act 75 frictionally" to retain the tiles on the form, and removable spacer strips dimensioned to fit between adjacent strips of the parallel series for spacing the tiles from each other.

2. A form for molding a concrete wall provided with strips of resilient material extending in parallel relation to each other on its inner face, each strip having a rib portion cemented in a groove of the form for securing the strip thereto, and a wider portion protruding from the face of the form for resilent edgewise engagement with a plurality of individual tiles to be secured temporarily to the face of the form while the concrete is applied, whereby the tiles may become cementitiously bonded with the concrete to form a surface of the wall, and the molding form may be withdrawn when the concrete has set, the strips being thus disengaged from the tiles.

3. A form for molding a concrete wall provided with strips of resilient material extending in parallel relation to each other on its inner face,

each strip having a rib portion cemented in a groove of the form for securing the strip thereto, and a wider portion protruding from the face of the form for resilient edgewise engagement with a plurality of individual tiles'to be secured temporarily to the face of the form while the concrete is applied, said wider portions projecting from the face of the form by less than the thickness of the tiles, whereby open channels are provided between adjacent tiles to be filled with concrete when the wall is cast, the tiles being thus embedded in the wall and the resilient strips being withdrawable with the formwhen it is removed after the concrete has set.

4. A form for molding a concrete wall provided with strips of resilient material arranged in parallel relation on its inner face for removably holding individual tiles thereon by frictional engagement with their edge surfaces, the edges of the strips which engage the tiles being relatively attenuated to render them readily yieldable in conforming to the tiles and in releasing their frictional grip thereon after the casting of the wall.

5. A form for molding a concrete wall, said form having secured to a face thereof yielding elements spaced to receive tile form units between them, said yielding elements being formed and dimensioned to engage the edge surfaces of the tile form units and to retain them frictionally when said units are inserted between pairs of said yielding elements.

6. A form for molding a composite decorative concrete wall comprising a wall surface contour form member having on a face thereof spaced gripping elements positioned and dimensioned to engage only the edge surfaces of decorative wall surfacing units placed against said face of the member, said gripping elements serving to retain the units frictionally in place against said face of the wall surface contour form member when said member is erected in position to constitute a portion of a mold to receive cementitious material comprising a wall and affording a backing for the decorative units.

7. A form for molding a concrete wall, said form including yielding holding means of elastic rubber or like material positioned to support individual tiles on the face of the form wholly by resilient pressure against the edge surfaces of the tiles.

8. A form for molding a concrete wall, said form including strips of rubber or like material secured to the face of the form and spaced thereon to receive individual tiles between them, said strips being resilient for yielding frictional engagement with the edge surfaces of such tiles.

9. A form for molding a concrete wall, said form incuding strips of rubber or like resilient material secured to the face of the form in spaced relation to receive individual tiles between them, said strips being normally spaced apart by slightly less than the width of a tile, and being adapted to yield upon insertion of the tile and to retain the tile in position wholly by frictional engagement with its edge surfaces.

10. A form for molding a concrete wall, said form being provided with resilient holders projecting from its face in spaced arrangement thereon to receive individual tiles between them,

said holders being spaced apart initially by slightly less than the width of a tile and adapted to yield upon insertion of the tile so as to exert pressure from opposite directions against the edge surfaces of the tile for retaining it frictionally in position with its face exposed for bonding engagement with the concrete when the wall is molded.

11. The method of constructing a concrete wall which consists in applying to a pocketed molding form a plurality of tiles in spaced arrangement secured in the pockets of the form wholly by frictional engagement between the walls of the pockets and the edge surfaces of the tiles, casting a concrete mixture in the mold and against the exposed surfaces of the tiles carried in the pockets of the mold, allowing the concrete to set, then withdrawing the molding form and overcoming its frictional hold on the tiles in so withdrawing it, whereby the tiles are left bonded to the concrete to form a surface of the finished wall.

12. The method of constructing a concrete wall which consists in erecting a pocketed molding form, securing in the pockets of the form wholly by frictional engagement with the walls of the pockets a plurality of tiles, casting a concrete mixture in the mold and against the exposed surfaces of the tiles carried in the pockets of the mold, allowing the concrete to set, then withdrawing the molding form and overcoming its frictional hold on the tiles in so withdrawing it, whereby the tiles are left bonded to the concrete to form a surface of the finished wall.

13. The method of constructing a concrete wall which consists in erecting a pocketed mold form, securing in the pockets of the form wholly by frictional engagement with the walls of a plurality of tiles, casting a concrete mixture in the mold and against the exposed surfaces of the tiles carried in the pockets of the mold, allowing the concrete to set, then withdrawing the molding form and overcoming its frictional hold on the'edge surfaces of the tiles in so withdrawing 

